Waste combing machine, express-card



Nov. 29, 1932. L. SCHORSCH 1,389,615

IAS'IE COHBING MACHINE EXPRESS CARD Filed June 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Conreyo Nov. 29, 1932. L. scHoRscH 1,889,615

WASTE COMBING MACHINE EXPRESS CARD Filed June 15, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE was'rn comma normal,

Application fled .l'nne is, leashed-1 Io. 285,000, and in Germany I ane1a, 1027.

The present invention relates to the preparation of fibers preparatoryto spinmng or other usual textile operations and relates particularly toa method of and apparatus for 5 opening and cleaning such fibers. Theimpurities contained in raw textile fibers, for example cotton or wool,as well as in waste formed during spinning and other textile operations,maybe divided into two general classes,-first those impurities which areloosely mixed with the fibers, and second, those which adhere to thefibers with more or less tenacity.

For separating the impurities from the useful fibers, two distinctprocesses are commonl employed. In the first process the loose y mixedim urities are removed in large part, at least, by beating or similarlytreating the material, while in the second process the 9 adheringimpurities are removed by combing. For the practice of these twoprocesses wholly different types of mechanism have been developed. Thus,for removing the loose dirt and impurities, machines having rotary orother forms of beater are employed, said machinesbeing variously knownin accordance with their specific construction or mode of operation, asbeaters, pickers, openers, scutchers, lappers, deviling machines,spiral-devils,

, etc. and being hereinafter referred to by the general term, heaters.

For removing impurities which adhere tenaciously to the fibers and whichare not readily shaken off by beating, the material is com- 35 monlysubjected to the action of toothed ele-' ments which comb out the fiberand remove the impurities therefrom. Usually the toothed element takesthe form of a rotating drum having a multitude of pins or teethprojecting from its peripheral surface (for exam le the drum may becovered with card clothing or with garnet wire) and the impuritiesremoved during this combing operation fall through a grate, while theclean fiber is removed from the teeth of the drum and swept away by anair current. One commonl known mechanism of this type is the so-ca ledRisler express card, described-and illustrated on pages 140 and 141 of awork entitled Textile raw materials by Julius Zipser, of which anEnglish translation by. Salter was published in 1901 by Scott Greenwood& Son of 8 Broadway Ludgate Hill E. C. London, England. Other mechanismsof this general type have been known to the 55 trade as carding-heaters,waste-brakers, pickers, etc., all of which are intended to clean andopen the fibers prior to the carding operation proper. While the knowncleaning mechanisms are useful in dealing with 50 good and dry fibrousmaterial, they are not wholly satisfactory or reliable for cleaningmaterial containing dirt of an oily, fatty, or generally sticky nature,since the teeth of the combing device rapidly fill up with the stickydirt or become covered or embedded with fiber so that the device willnot function properly.

Heretofore the above two steps of the cleaning operation, to wit:removal of loose particles and the combing out of adhering dirt havebeen performed independently of each other, the product of the firstprocess usually being formed into lap rolls or conveyed into bins orother storage receptacles from which it is afterward delivered to themechanism for performing the second step of cleaning. This usual processis thus wasteful of floor space, consumes an unnecessary amount of time,requires several handlings with resultant abnormal waste in the form offly or lint, and is uneconomical in thelabor required.

In accordance with the present invention I combine the several aforesaidindependent cleaning processes into a single continuous process whichmay, if desired, consist of a single stage of each type of cleaning, orin which each type of cleaning may be repeated as many times as desiredand in any order with respect to the other step. For performing thisimproved combined process in the most efficient manner I have devisedimproved mechanism which enables me effectively to clean fibers of alltypes even when extremely short and when containing oily or adheringdirt.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation,partly in vertical section, illustrating a preferred embodiment of meansfor practicing the improved process; 7

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are views of diagrammatic character similar to Fig. 1,respectively sh0wlnits the cleaning of very ing modified arrangements ofmechanism designed to carry out modifications of my proc- Fig. 6 is afragmentary vertical section to larger scale showing details of thatportion of the apparatus illustrated at the right hand part of Fig. 1;and

Fig. 7 is a composite view, to still larger F scale, showing in sideelevation and in end elevation, respectively, an improved combingelement, together with certain adjunct-ive features.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 wherein the preferred method isillustrated with reference to a desirable embodiment of mechanism, thefiber to be treated is delivered by a feeder a of any desired type, forexample the well known Bramwell card feeder,

' to continuously operated beating mechanism 6. This beating mechanismmay be of any desired type, for example it is herein indicated as aspiral opener or waste cleaner. In the beater here illustrated the fibermoves laterally (Fig. 2) while undergoing an intense beating duringwhich the loose dirt, comprising sand, sticks, etc., is knocked out ofthe fiber and drops through a grid while the partially cleaned fiber iscondensed upon a condenser cylinder 0 from which it is delivered in theform of a bat or fleece.

From the condenser cylinder 0 the material is preferably conveyed bysuitable devices, for example, endless belts, lattices, or the like, (1d, d to a distributor d, which lays the material in superposedtransverse, and preferably zig-zag, folds or plies upon the moving feedapron or belt of the combing mechanism 6 where the material is combed toremove adhering dirt. This combing mechanism e is here illustrated as ofthat type sometimes called a picker-lapper and its function is commonlyreferred to as a picking operation. While I prefer to employ bhlts anddistributing means as above described for conveying the material fromcondenser c to the combing mechanism 6, I contemplate that other andequivalent means may be employed.

As above stated, the present invention perdirty fibrous materials, suchfor example as oily or fatty waste or material containing a largepercentage of short fiber, lint, or motes, and to accomplish this resultI prefer to employ combing or picking mechanism 0 embodying thefollowing features.

Referring particularly .to Figs. 6 and 7, the fleece or bat g restingupon the feed apron of the combing or ,picking mechanism e is movedslowly toward the feed or licker-in roll it and is presented to thecombing drum 7 in such a manner that the teeth of the drum comb out thefibers which are nipped between the roll it and a bar 2, the latterbeing opposed to the roll 72, and mounted on a weighted lever 0. Theperipheral surface of the combing drum f is provided with pins, teeth,or the like, such as are commonly used-in carding or combing machinery,and of such type, length, and fineness as may be required in dealingwith the material to be worked. The dirt combed off by the teeth of thedrum f is removed by means of knives or equivalent means, here shown asa plurality of angular bars is spaced to form a grate through which theimpurities fall. The combed fibers-are carried along by the teeth of thedrum f and, if oily or otherwise adhesive, this fiber might cling sofirmly to the drum teeth that it would not be removed therefrom andswept away by the air current. To insure proper separation of thecleaned fibers from the drum I preferably provide a brush cylinder Zhaving projectingbristles preferably of considerable length as comparedwith the teeth of the drum f. This brush Zis driven at somewhat highercircumferential speed than that of the drum f and in the oppositedirection so that the brush bristles strip off the fiber mechanicallyfrom the teeth of the drum. The air current (whether produced by suctionor pressure) which enters through the conduit or passage m and passesbetween the drum f and the brush Z is easily able to pick off any fiberwhich tends to stick to the tips of the brush bristles, since thedirection of movement of the teeth of the drum and the opposed brushbristles is the same as that of the air current. The cleaned and combedfibers may now be delivered directly by the air current to the nextstage of the fiber treating process, or, if desired, may be delivered tocondenser cylinders 11,, n where it is formed into a hat or fleece whichmay be delivered in this form or wound into rolls by any usual means,not shown.

Usually, a straight edged or smooth bar p is employed in express cardsand similar machines but when such a bar is used, the very short fiberis not reliably retained during the combing operation, so that it isdelivered by the drum 7 in an unopened and dirty condition. Accordingly,when treating material containing much short fiber, for example pickermotes, I substitute for the usual smooth bar a toothed bar such as shownin Fig. 7 (preferably made separate from and removably secured to thelever 0). This toothed bar p may be made of any desired (preferably hardand wear resistant) material, and may have teeth of any desired de greeof sharpness, depth, or fineness, and may be replaced when worn orbroken. This toothed bar p reliably retains even the shortest fibers ormotes in the wedge-like spaces between its teeth so that they areproperly combed and cleaned, although the continuously advancing batvorfleece entering be-- neath the roll it gradually pushes the cleanedfibers from between the teeth of the comb bar so that the latter doesnot become clogged or filled up.

While I prefer to use the comb or picker mechanism hereinabove describedin performing my improved continuous process, I eontemplate thatspecifically different mechanism may be employed for combing and openingthe fiber to remove adhering dirt, but it should be noted that the broadcombination of mechanism here described results in great saving in time,space, material and labor, and that even oily or fatty fiber includingmotes may be cleaned without difliculty. Moreover, the combing mechanismherein specifically described may find utility in other environments,either alone or in combination with other mechanism and in particularthe improved serrated comb bar p may advantageously be used inexpress-cards, waste-brakers or other combing mechanism of generallysimilar type.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 I have shown other desirable combinations ofmechanism whereby certain modifications of my process may be practiced.Asa rule in all such combinations it is desirable to arrange the beatermechanism first in order, since the output of such mechanism is reducedby the removal of a substantial proportion of loose dirt, and thus thecombing or picker mechanism which is slower in operation, is able toactin an efficient manner.

Fig. 3 illustrates an arrangement for cleaning very dirty material, forexample dirty or oily cotton waste. As illustrated, I provide a pair ofmechanisms suchasfshown in Fig. 1, arranged in series so that thepartially cleaned material from the combing means of the first unit isdelivered directly and continuously to the beater mechanism of thesecond unit. Thus, as shown, the material is first placed in the feedera from which it passes to beater. 6 then over the conveyors D to thefirst combing mechanism a. It then passes in the form of a bat or fleeceto the second beater b and then over the conveyors D to the secondcombing mechanism e from which it is delivered in the form of a lap rollq. Obviously, in this broad combination of mechanism, different specifictypes ofbeater,

conveyor and combing means may be substituted for those shown. Whateverthe specific means employed, this repetition of the beating and combingin a continuous process results in an eflicient cleaning and opening ofthe fiber, and its delivery in good condition for subsequent'operations.

In Fig. 4 the'mechanism comprises a single beater I) followed by twocombing or picker mechanisms 6 6 operating in series. This arrangementis particularly desirable in treating fibrous material having a greatdeal of adhering dirt, or fine fiber, for example picker motes. In suchan arrangement the combing devices of the successive mechanisms e and eare referably provided with teeth or pins of dierentdegrees of finenessso as to obtain graded and accurate opening and combing action. In Fig.5, the beater b and the carding mechanism 6 are disposed substantiallyas shown in Fig. 1, but the bat or fleece from .the combing mechanism 0is delivered in overlapping transverse folds or plies to form a doublebat which is wound into a lap roll q. Thus the feeder a delivers thematerial to the beater b from which the conveyor d carries it to thecombing device 0; from the combing device the bat or fleece is carriedby conveyors of suitable type to a distributing device r similar, ifdesired, to that disclosed in my Patent No. 1,642,178 dated September13, 1927 which lays it in zigzag, transverse, overlapping folds orpliesvupon an endless belt or conveyor which delivers it to suitablemeans 'for forming it into a lap roll 9. Such a roll, consisting of adoubled, transversely folded bat or fleece, is particularly desirablefor use in processes where the material is delivered directly, after asingle carding operation, to a tape condenser or the like where it isdivided into roving ready for spinning and where great uniformity in thefleece from the card is requisite.

While I have herein illustrated certain desirable mechanisms andcombinations of mechanism for use in performing my improved continuousprocess of cleaning fibrous materials, I wish it to be .understood thatthe process in its broader aspects is not dependent upon the employmentof these specific mechanisms and as respects the mechanisms disclosedvarious changes in details, including the substitution of elements fortheir equivalents may be made without departing. from the invention.v

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising means for beating loosedirt out of fibrous material, means for combing the-material including arotary toothed drum, a brush for doling the drum, and means fordirecting an air current between the .drum and the brush to convey. awaythe cleaned material.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a toothed combing drum,means for presenting fiber to said drum, a rotary brush turning in adirection opposite to that of the drum, said brush having bristles fordofling fiber adhering to the teeth of the drum, means for-directing anair current between the brush and drum, the air moving in the samedirection as the adjacent peripheral portions ofthe brush and drum, andcondenser means adapted to receive the fiber from the air current and toform it into a bat.

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a toothed combing drum,fiber pre- 5 scnting means includin a roller and an oposed toothed bar,a weighted lever supportmg said bar and urging it toward the roller,

a grid comprising a series of spaced angular bars for removingimpurities carried by the teeth of the drum, a brush for doifing fibersadhering to the teeth of the drum, means for directing an aircurrentbetween the brush and drum, and means for condensing the fiber carriedby the air current.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name this 2nd day of June, 1928. Y

LUDWIG SCHORSGH.

